“I, I don’t quite understand what you’re referring to,” she stammered down her mobile’s receiver, nodding her head a moment later, despite the caller not being able to see. “Yes, but surely you can understand that being stuck in Haneda International Airport is the last place I want to be spending my birthday in.”

The girl sighed heavily and nodded again. “I understand.” She hung up her mobile angrily and pushed it back into her jeans pocket. “That you don’t really give a damn.”

Looking around the busy airport, she wondered where to go from here. It wasn’t as if she was a frequent flyer to Tokyo, in fact this was her first time landing in the Asian country. The American felt herself becoming more overwhelmed the longer she stood in the international terminal, watching everyone making their way at a fast pace through the airport. It made Maddie feel even more desolate, as she had no where to go like everyone else. If she didn’t pride herself on being strong in public, she would have burst out in tears at the prospect of staying in the airport overnight. And what was even worse was that it was her birthday.

Her best friends had organised the trip on her behalf, sending her to Japan for two weeks to meet up with them all. Only one of her friends was living in Japan, but her mobile phone seemed to be off presently. Her other friends were all flying in and arriving the following day, and they were all meant to be sharing the same hotel suite, since Rochelle already lived with a bunch of people, and shared a room too. This hadn’t fazed her however, until she had rung the hotel to find out where her driver was. Not only was the person unable to pick her up, they had no where to stay since their room had been cancelled. Maddie couldn’t understand why everything was happening the way it was, and she really wished she wake up from the current nightmare.

“Excuse me,” a male voice asked in Japanese and she glanced up at the tall man, who smiled at her warmly from under a low set cap. “Are you Maddie-san?”

“Ah, yes?”

“Your friend, Rochelle asked me to pick you up today. There’s been a change in your arrangements,” he announced and Maddie felt incredibly relieved, grinning at the strange boy happily.

“You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that.”

He smirked. “Did you have a horrible arrival by chance?”

“You could say that,” she replied, as the tall boy took one of her luggage bags and they began to walk off. “What’s your name by the way?”

“Ah, Min,” he said with a bit of uncertainty and then cleared his throat. Maddie gave him a weird look before smiling, and following him into the car park, over to a fancy BMW.

“This is yours?” she enquired as he hit the alarm button on his key ring. Min held it up and jingled the keys around before opening the trunk to the car. Maddie couldn’t help but be stunned by the expensive vehicle, and she eyed the taller boy more curiously. He didn’t look like he was someone who was rich, but then again she had been surprised by many people in her life before. She got into the car and placed her seatbelt around herself, waiting for the boy to turn on the car and drive off.

They were silent for five minutes as he navigated the busy Tokyo traffic, and Maddie turned to take in the foreign surroundings. “So you’re here for a week is it?”

“Two, actually.”

“Been to Japan before?”

She shook her head. “First time. I’m assuming you’re not from Japan yourself, you don’t look Japanese.”

“Korean.”

“How come you live here?” she continued to ask, becoming intrigued. The taller boy smirked.

“How come Rochelle does?”

“Well her boyfriend stole her from us about six months ago,” Maddie admitted and let out a little huff of air. Min laughed. “Do you know the boyfriend?”

“He’s like an older brother of mine.”

“So that’s how you know Chelle,” Maddie concluded and Min nodded. “How long have you known her?”

“Awhile now, hence why I’m doing her this favour.”

“Well thanks all the same, for picking me up,” she said, wondering why the boy seemed so formal and abrupt with everything he said. It made her feel like her questions were annoying, even though they were rational ones. Deciding to remain quiet, she returned her gaze to outside the vehicle once again.

“You know,” Min started five minutes later as he waited for a set of lights to change. “For someone who’s best friend lives in Japan, you don’t really know much about it, do you?”

“I beg your pardon?” she asked, snapping her focus back to his face. He shot her a grin and then shook his head, driving off again. “No, what do you mean by that?”

“Perhaps she really has left you in the dark after all. What is the name of Chelle’s boyfriend?”

“Wouldn’t you know?” she retorted, folding her arms across her chest at the cheek of the stranger. His insinuations bothered her, as if she didn’t know about her best friend’s relationship. “Micky. That’s his name.”

“Ah, so she is cunning.”

“What?” Maddie asked exasperatedly and a chuckle left the driver’s mouth. “This isn’t funny. You’re annoying me on my birthday.”

“How rude of me.”

“It is really,” she finally admitted, glancing at him irritably. “I thought you were rescuing me from a crisis, but instead you act like I don’t know anything about Japan, despite the fact that we are conversing in the very language right now. Further more, you are basically saying I don’t know my friend, or anything around me well enough and I have learnt enough from you so far Min to find you are strikingly frustrating!”

“Woah, and here I thought I was doing a good deed,” he claimed, turning the vehicle into an underground garage. “Maybe I should just turn around and take you back to the airport?”

“Or you could just kindly drop me off at Rochelle’s and we can forget knowing each other!” she suggested sourly, to which Min gave her a look, before shaking his head and getting out of the car.

“Okay princess,” he spat back, hoisting her luggage out of the trunk and rolling it towards the elevator. Maddie tried to grab it herself, but his long legs meant he was ahead of her. They silently travelled up four floors before the elevator doors opened and allowed them entrance into a flash hallway. She followed along behind Min, who stopped at a door and entered a code. Maddie wondered why he would do that if he didn’t live in the house.

“Are you back?!” a familiar voice called out and Maddie forgot all about the current situation and raced inside the apartment. Her best friend let out a squeal before leaping at her, the two girls hugging happily. When they separated, Maddie noticed that Min had removed his shoes and was lounging over a black sofa in the modern apartment. He must have realised she was looking in his direction because he glanced up and smirked.

“Please do try to forget knowing me,” he mentioned airily and Rochelle darted her blue-grey eyes between the pair.

“What’s going on?”

Maddie frowned, and then blushed. “Is he uh, your boyfriend?”

“Hah!” Rochelle snorted and shook her head, trying not to laugh loudly. “Me and Changmin, no way. Didn’t you introduce yourself, properly Min?”

“For one he didn’t say his full name,” Maddie murmured as the tall boy shrugged on the furniture.

“I did everything you asked, noona.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Rochelle suddenly decided and smiled brightly at Maddie again. “Come, you must be really tired. There’s so much planned for your birthday party tomorrow, that you ought to rest now.”

The older girl ushered Maddie into a small bedroom and then left her to it. Looking around the space, she left her suitcase against the wall and collapsed on the soft bedding. Staring up at the white ceiling, Maddie wondered just what was going on. But for now her questions would have to wait, as exhaustion enveloped her.

When she opened her eyes the following morning, Maddie stretched her limbs out before sitting up. She was aware that she hadn’t changed the previous day, and she set about pulling out a pair of jeans and a comfortable tee, changing her clothing and then stepping out of her bedroom. Walking along the hallway back to the living area where she could hear several voices, and Maddie stopped when she saw her best friend in the kitchen with a dark haired man.

“Yoochun, if you don’t be careful you’re going to wear that pancake, not cook it!” she chided, trying to grab the frying pan from the chuckling man’s grip.

“Don’t you have faith in me to cook this for your friend?”

“None.”

“Yah!” he cried and placed the pan back on the element, slinging his arms around the shorter girl and capturing her lips a moment later. Maddie jumped in fright as Changmin breezed passed her, wearing only a pair of sweats.

“Hyung, what have I told you about contaminating the kitchen?” he scolded, and Rochelle smirked, before noticing Maddie in the entrance way.

“Oh! Maddie, you’re awake! Did you sleep okay?!” her friend asked and the man Rochelle had been kissing turned around and smiled brightly at her.

“It’s nice to meet one of Chelle’s friends finally,” he mentioned, stepping out of the kitchen and approaching the American. “I’m Yoochun, Rochelle’s fiancé.”

“Fi-fiancé?” Maddie repeated and looked at the girl who had ran up and tried to cover Yoochun’s mouth. “I uh, didn’t know you were engaged.”

“Big mouth!” Rochelle exclaimed, and pouted. “I wanted to tell you in person hun. He only asked last week, and my Mum doesn’t even know yet.”

“Well congrats then,” Maddie said happily and then cringed. “Ah, whatever you’re trying to cook is burning I think.”

“Oh!” Yoochun cried and raced back into the kitchen where Changmin was drinking out of the juice bottle, leaning against the counter. Maddie caught his eye and quickly looked away in annoyance.

Rochelle nudged the girl. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”

“You need to tell me who he is.”

“Wait,” the older girl said with confusion and tilted her head to the side. “You don’t know who they are?”

“No, should I?” Maddie questioned in the same tone Rochelle had used and the older girl giggled. “You know that’s the same reaction he gave me too.”

“Maddie, you’re really not well versed in the music scene are you?”

“They’re musicians?”

“How about you don’t worry about it right now. We’ve got a lot to do, and the other girls will be arriving this afternoon before the party. You can find out who they are tonight.”

The day went by faster than Maddie had a chance to acknowledge much that happened, although she had noticed the arrival of more guys in the apartment, and then the disappearance of all five of them. She had to admit with all of them together she could tell they represented a handsome group, but she was unsure still of their identity. It irked her that everyone kept so quiet about it, and even more so when Katelyn and Danica both seemed in on it too. She felt like the whole world was conspiring against her since she landed in Japan the day previous.

When seven o’clock arrived, Rochelle was pulling Maddie into some club in Shinjuku. She wasn’t sure why her party was being held in a club when all the people she knew in Japan she could count on both of her hands. All the same, she was pleasantly surprised with how much trouble everyone had gone to, and grinned when Rochelle made her sit down at a table with their friends.

“I’m so glad you’re here to celebrate your birthday with us tonight Maddie. It’s been five years now that we’ve known each other and I wanted to treat you to a special time. I wasn’t expecting you to not know who I live with, but I hope when you hear them sing, it’ll be an amazing present.”

The five boys came out and she heard a familiar tune begin playing. She eyed the group more curiously and then gasped when they began to sing.

Darling, I want to see you

Love, times when I can’t see you
I always gaze at the sky

“Tohoshinki!” she cried and slapped her forehead as all five faces became incredibly familiar. Although she wouldn’t class herself as a fan, she did love this song so much, considering it had history between her and her friends. Glancing over at Rochelle, she knew she would have a lot of explaining to do, having kept it a secret for so long who she was with through cunning hints that suddenly made sense. Turning her attention back to the boys in front of her, they finished singing Rainbow and then moved into another favourite song, Kiss the Baby Sky. After singing a couple of other songs, they wished her a happy birthday in Japanese before music from the DJ station was and the small group moved onto the dance floor.

“Come on,” Changmin mentioned and pulled her towards him, dancing closer to her than she would have liked. Although she loved his voice, she was determined that Changmin was far too arrogant to actually like. “So now the Princess knows who I am. Took you so long to figure it out. The look on your face when you did was priceless though.”

“Would you please stop calling me that?”

“Why, does it offend you?”

“You’re very frustrating, did you know that?”

Changmin smirked. “Is that why you wanted to forget me, or is that why you can’t?”

She tried to pull away from the taller boy but he only held her more tightly. “Changmin, it’s my party and-”

“You’ll cry if you want to? Please don’t. Unless they’re happy tears. After all, it’s not every day we sing for just anyone.”

“I’m going now,” she announced and he pouted.

“But I haven’t even given you my present yet!”

“Fine,” she said heavily, and looked up at him. “Where is it?”

“Right here,” he said before he pressed his lips against hers. Maddie froze, before his lips somehow captured her entire being. She sighed and kissed him back, their bodies swaying back and forth to the beat of the song. When they finally separated, he smirked. “Still want to forget me?”

Maddie couldn’t help but laugh. She shook her head, reaching up to kiss him again. After all, like he said, it wasn’t every day that TVXQ sung for a birthday party. And she was certain that Changmin’s lips only chose certain people to kiss.

She only hoped that during the remainder of her stay, she got to enjoy repeating her birthday present over and over.

The End.